That's the motto for the
Columbia Gorge Winegrowers. Americas' Most Unique Wine Region
is located less than an hour East of Portland, Oregon.
Columbia Gorge Growing Region includes the fertile soils of
both sides of the mighty Columbia River. The Washington and
Oregon grapes and wines
of this unique region are a spectacular selection of sweet whites
and luscious reds.

The
wineries span the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area through
40 miles of peaceful,...

Bike the
Columbia River Gorge, the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway, the
Willamette Valley and have a comfy bed and and hearty breakfast at
an bed and breakfast along the way. A Bed
and Breakfast offers so much more than a hotel.
Oregon innkeepers know the best back roads, the best places to
eat, the scenic attractions you won't want to miss. You
determine how far you want to go in one day. The whole
adventure is about 200 miles and you'll discover why
those arriving in Oregon on the Oregon Trail...

Immigrants began to move into Oregon
Territory in the 1840's. German brewer Henry Saxer arrived in
1852, tasted the clear, soft water and recognized the prime hop and
grain potential. He, along with fellow
immigrant Henry Weinhard, began brewing and the rest is
history.

The
breweries of Oregon produce brews known around the world
for their quality and innovation. Plan your
first Beer-Cation around those in Hood River,
Oregon, and the Valley that stretches to the foothills of Mt.
Hood.

March brings the beginning of the southward movement of many
migratory land birds through Oregon and as an avid birder I wanted
to share the many birding opportunities that can be found in
throughout our state. The Oregon
Cascade Birding Trail (OCBT) is a self-guided auto
tour highlighting nearly 200 prime birding destinations designed to
showcase the region's birds and spectacular
scenery. This blog will focus on the Mt Hood Loop of
the Oregon Cascade Birding Trail. Let's get settled...

Traversing between Hood River and
Mosier, the five mile section of the Historic Columbia River
Highway passes through the Twin Tunnels and two climate
zones and being closed to auto traffic is an amazing trail for
hikers, bikers, rollerbladers, anyone human powered. Starting at
the east Mark O. Hatfield Trailhead near Mosier, the trail leads
through semi-arid terrain dotted with ponderosa pine for about a
mile until you reach the Twin Tunnels. Spectacular...

Every time another storm comes through the Columbia River
Gorge and into the Mt Hood National Forest we say, "This has got to
be the last one". And then comes another. Seems like
Winter and Spring are playing a bit of tug-a-war and we are hoping
winter holds on a bit longer.

The ski resort on Oregon's tallest peak, Mt Hood, have received
about 15 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours. All this is
making for some awesome spring conditions on Mt Hood and in
the Mt Hood National Forest....

Spring in the Columbia River Gorge is amazing and what better
way to enjoy the spectacular scenery and the unique wines of
the federally designated grape-growing region of
the Columbia Gorge Appellation than to join us
for Passport to Wine, April
12-14, 2013

This is an exciting opportunity to sample the best that the
Columbia Gorge Winegrowers
have to offer. Passport holders will be entitled to a
variety of benefits, including special reserve tastings, wine
discounts, case discounts and more.

The Hood River Valley is certainly known for having thousands of
acres of fruit of which cherries, blueberries and peaches are
finding their way to the fruit stands now. We also have some
amazing flower farms, one of which, The Gorge White House, has
glads, daisies, cone flowers, snapdragons, Oriental lilies,
lavender and more.

The
dahlia fields at the Gorge White House have begun to bloom and it
is a photo op you won’t want to miss. They will be in their
seasonal display until the first...

At Rasmussens Farm
Aug 6&7 and continuing through August.Celebrating 60 kinds of sunflowers – Perfect opportunity to
paint, cut, take photos and enjoy the many colors of summer.
Reservations suggested for photo clubs or art groups.
Kick-off weekend features live music, wine tasting from Hood River
Vineyards, vegetable games, and a treasure hunt. Quilt show and
sale, art show and sale. Come paint, take photos, cut
bouquets, and enjoy through the whole month of August. Covered
picnic area.

The
Mt Hood
Cycling Classic is coming to the Columbia River Gorge June
2nd-5th. The race features stages through the Gorge, the
Upper Hood River Valley, and the Mt Hood National Forest and
has been described by experienced international racers as some
of the most beautiful they’ve ever ridden.

This event is not just for those that are racing. Spectators
are given an opportunity to see the action first hand. Food, fun
and music greet those who come to watch the action. Spectators have
an...Read More

Find
the best hand-made crafts and one-of-a-kind gifts at the 2010 Hood
River Holiday Market.

This event is your opportunity to find the perfect gift for
your loved ones or even for yourself! You'll find 30+ vendors
providing unique items, that you can't find anywhere else, all
gathered in one place.

Holiday Market hours are 9am to 4pm on November 20 and November 27
at Westside Elementary School, 3685 Belmont Drive, Hood
River.

Apple
Valley Country Store in Hood River Oregon is celebrating its
21st year as one of Hood River’s favorite visitor
attractions. Located in the midst of picturesque
orchards, forests and farmlands, our family has been making
homemade jams, jellies, and pies in the store's kitchen for over 20
years.

During the month of October you will be treated to some delicious
treats as the Wright family cooks up pies, jams, jellies, dumplings
and more. Crisps and turnovers are baked only on special
event...Read More

Oregonians love their bikes and we are
truely blessed with an amazing number of scenic backroads to
explore. The Hood River
Harvest Ride is a family-friendly bike ride through
the less-traveled majestic back-roads of the Hood River
Valley. There are five routes from easy to moderate to
challenging and a new "kids under ten" loop this years.
Riders have the option to take 'er easy or feel the
burn.

Labor Day Weekend in Oregon, so much to do, so many wonderful
back-roads and places to explore. How about some wine tours?

Explore,
Tour & Taste through the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon
Ridge. Participating member wineries and vineyards of the
Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers - including those rarely open to
the public - will offer special activities during the weekend.
Visit the website for a full list of events.

The Willamette Valley, Oregon's leading wine region has two-thirds
of the state's...

In 2003, riding on years of success protecting the Yuba River,
the South Yuba River Citizens League, SYRCL, decided to plan
an environmental film festival. Seven festivals later, the
Wild
and Scenic Environmental Film Festival is the largest event of
its kind in the US. The goal is to become the premiere
environmental film festival in the world. Each January,
screening begins for the most important and inspirational
environmental films available today, as well as host a variety...

The 2010 Hood River cherry crop is amazing. We have been
picking about 10 pounds of fresh cherries every few days and they
become the main ingredient in many a tasty breakfast treat here at
the Old Parkdale Inn. We’ve
been making cherry crepes, cherry scones, cherry cobblers and of
course placing big bowls of cold, crisp cherries on the table to
nibble on before, during and after breakfast.

One of our guests’ favorite though, is the Double-Crust Cherry
Tart and as promised here is the recipe.

When
it is hot in the valleys there is nothing like a ride
on the Magic Mile chair lift on Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest peak
at 11, 240 feet. The majestic mountain can be seen from
Portland, the Willamette Valley, the Hood River Valley and the
Columbia River Gorge and is an easy day trip from any of the
Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild
member inns in these regions.

Take the lift to the mountain’s 7000′ level – no skis or
snowboards needed but if you do need a ski fix there are but a
few places in the...

Bring out
the golf clubs and try to decide where to golf in Oregon. I
went to
Travel Oregon's website to find "a few" courses to blog about
and I found well over a hundred!!
And with Oregon Bed and
Breakfast Inns located in every region we would
like to encourage you to explore Oregon as you tee off across
the state.